by Becky McGraw
When she got too bored or lonely, she drove to Houston for the weekend to find herself some momentary relief. But that’s all it was—none of those guys knew where she lived, who she really was, or had her phone number.
Why in the hell couldn’t her aunt just leave well enough alone? Leave her alone and let her help them? Melanie had been in the best mood ever when she got back to the house, and now it was ruined. “Aunt June, please let me finish those sandwiches and I’ll bring them to you in the living room with some iced tea.”
The butter knife clattered in the almost empty jar, and June wiped her hands on her apron then huffed a breath. “Alright, missy, but don’t blame me if your mother is on the roof again when you get back. I’m going upstairs to get her charts and incense, but that won’t keep her entertained very long. Tonight is bingo night, and I sure as hell hope she doesn’t remember.”
“What time do you go?” Melanie asked, moving to the counter to pick up thick slices of ham from the saucer and lay them over the slices of bread. She added cheddar cheese slices, then closed them up and distributed them onto paper plates. Grabbing the chip bag, she shook a portion of potato chips beside each sandwich, then set it down to open the cabinet and pull down two glasses.
“It doesn’t start until seven, but Merry likes to get there early to get a seat up front and cackle with all the hens she meets there every Thursday night.” June turned toward the doorway and waved her hand. “But I sit in the back, because their jabber makes my ears bleed.”
Her mother was as loony as a toon, and even she had a circle of friends. Right then, Mel realized how empty her life really was. Even if her mother didn’t have friends, at least she had Aunt June who was about her best friend in the world. Melanie had no one. Maybe she had lost more than she thought by leaving Sunny Glen.
Stop it, Melanie Ann Fox—you are not even going to consider moving back here!
Melanie filled the glasses with ice and tea, then grabbed a big tray from the lower cabinet and laid out the sandwich plates and drinks. Her mother was staring off into space when she walked into the living room and set the tray down on the coffee table.
“I’m bored” Merry announced with a frown. “You took my damned wheelchair from me, so turn on my soaps.”
“Ask nicely and I might,” Melanie replied, standing up to put her hands on her hips. She’d dealt with plenty of ornery patients, and right now her mother was being the orneriest.
“I got your moon phase charts, books and notes,” June said as she walked back into the room with her arms loaded down.
Melanie walked over to take the stack from her. “Aunt June you don’t need to be lifting things!” she reprimanded. “First, the laundry basket, now this—enough!”
“Stop telling me what to do child, because that will not work with me…” June let her take the stack of books, papers and notebooks, but put her hands on her hips. “Any more than it ever worked with you.”
Melanie set the books on the floor beside her mother then huffed a breath as she stood back up to assume a similar pose as her aunt. “You two are going to give me gray hair before I go home,” she said with a laugh.
June strolled over to her with a smile, and Melanie’s brow pinched when she stopped, studied Melanie’s hair for a moment then reached up. A sharp pain shot through her scalp and she yelped.
June held one of her hairs, a shiny silver one, up to her face like a prize. “It looks like that other place is what’s giving you gray hair, darlin’. Being home isn’t what’s doing that for you.”
“I have to go out for a while. Will you two promise to stay out of trouble if I promise to figure out how to get you to bingo tonight?” Melanie cringed as she remembered how difficult it was to get her mother and her leg into the backseat of her car to drive home from the hospital, but if this pact kept them settled and safe until she got back it was worth it.
Her mother perked up and smiled, but June groaned. “I promise!” Merry said quickly, then elbowed June, who hadn’t responded. “Promise, June or we won’t get out of this prison,” she growled. June shot Mel a glare, mumbled a promise then picked up the remote control and flipped on the television.
Mel walked out of the room with excitement building as she headed for the front door and blessed freedom. Her hand gripped the door knob, but she stopped when her mother yelled,
“Tell that handsome sheriff we said hello!” Both women cackled like the hens that June mentioned a few minutes ago, and Melanie’s face heated.
How in the hell did they know where she was going?
She opened the door, walked out onto the porch and quickly figured out it wasn’t by providence when she saw the handsome sheriff’s SUV in the driveway. Brock got out and walked toward her, and the expression on his face said he wasn’t happy.
CHAPTER NINE
“What’s wrong?” she asked, moving down the steps to meet him.
“Let’s just say thank the Good Lord I didn’t marry that woman,” he grated through clenched teeth, his eyes sparking angrily in the shadow of the brim of his hat.
“What woman?” Melanie asked, shaking her head.
“Lucy Morris,” he replied, making her name sound like a curse. “She just dropped me off at the station and didn’t leave until she laid down the law to me about me seeing you and about you treating Brady. I told her I’d show her the law, because I’d see her in court.” He huffed a breath, and his lips pinched. “But she knows as well as I do, I don’t have the money for it.”
“How did she know we were together today?” she asked.
“Brady liked you, so he decided to tell her all about you and our trip to the ranch. He also said I must like you a lot too because I kissed you when I dropped you off earlier. Needless to say that didn’t go over well.”
Melanie imagined it didn’t and a secret little immature thrill raced through her that Lucy Morris was evidently jealous of her. Is that glass slipper pinching on the other foot Miss Prom Queen?
“What did she say?” Melanie asked.
“She said if I continued to see you, I can’t see my son. She doesn’t want you around him.” Brock grabbed her shoulders, and his eyes turned glassy. “I’d threaten to cut off support to counter her, but that would only hurt Brady since she doesn’t work. She knows I love that kid, and is using him to manipulate me, but she’s going to learn that isn’t going to work.” He groaned, as his hands fell away. “And none of this is your problem. I’m sorry for dragging you into this drama.”
“Take a deep breath, Brock,” Melanie said, reaching out to put her hand on his arm. “You didn’t drag me into anything. After seeing how sick Brady looked yesterday, hearing what you said to Lucy, I knew I needed to help you figure out what’s wrong with him. That’s why I was at Dr. Carter’s office today. I was looking for Brady’s file, not mine.”
His eyes flew to hers. “You lied to me?” he asked, his voice an octave higher.
“I shouldn’t have been looking at anyone’s records in there but my own—it was unethical, because you didn’t give me permission.” Her little foray through his medical file had been too, but she wasn’t going to mention that. “I didn’t find the file until after you asked me to help you, but I’m sorry I lied.”
“It’s fine,” he said with a huffed breath before he pulled her to him for a quick hug. “I’m just so damned glad you decided to help me, because up until now I’ve been alone with my worry and watching my son get worse by the day.”
Alone. Brock was evidently as alone here as she was in Texas.
She wondered where his parents were, because she was sure if they were still in town he would’ve mentioned them, or gone to them for help.
“Brady is a good kid, and I’m glad to help him…and you,” Melanie said, feeling her cheeks heat. “I just don’t want to cause problems between you and Lucy, so maybe you should find someone else to help you. If you can’t see Brad—”
“There’s nothing to come between where Lucy and
I are concerned. I despise her and I don’t care what she says,” Brock growled, his eyes fierce.
Hearing that freed something inside of her and a strange exhilaration filled her. “I know you’re busy at the sheriff’s office and ranch, but I can—”
“I called the mayor and told him I’m taking the two weeks I’m owed in vacation time effective today. I can’t think of a better way to spend it than with you, trying to figure out what’s going on with Brady…something his mother doesn’t seem all that concerned about.”
This man trusted in her ability to heal his son, who he obviously loved with all his heart. His words conveyed he had every confidence she would figure this out. That was a heavy burden, but an awesome responsibility too and she was determined not to fail him. His kid’s life depended on her success. But they needed more information first and because Lucy was being such an uncooperative bitch, she would probably make it difficult to get that information.
“There’s really nothing more we can do until you can get those other medical records and lab reports,” she replied.
“That’s why I’m here. I want you to come back to the ranch with me to go through the bills so we can start calling those doctors. Maybe you can see from the bills what kinds of tests were done so I know what to ask for?”
“Just ask for his entire record, and it’s probably better if you do that part on your own so you don’t poke the bear…because they may call Lucy.” Melanie tossed her thumb over her shoulder. “And I’ve got to take care of my mother and au—”
“I need you to help me, Melanie…please,” Brock begged, his voice choked.
Having this man tell her he needed her was like when the child in the Willie Wonka movie was handed the golden ticket. She’d wanted to hear those words so badly for so long—and he’d just said them. No, they weren’t in the context she’d fantasized about at sixteen, but it was close enough.
He told her I must like you too, because I kissed you when I dropped you off. And God, she wanted more of those kisses.
“Do you like me?” she asked, stepping closer to put her hand on his chest.
“Of course I like you,” he replied, looking confused.
“Was Brady right? Is that what the kisses were about?” Melanie needed to hear him say they weren’t just about thanking her.
Brock’s eyes darkened and fell to her mouth as he put his hands on her hips to pull her closer. “Come to the ranch with me and I’ll show you what they were about,” he said, and one corner of his mouth ticked up. “Brady won’t be there to interrupt us.”
“Okay,” Melanie replied, her voice coming out as a squeak when it squeezed past her heart, which pounded in her throat. “I have to be back here by five, though. Mom and Aunt June have bingo tonight.” He smiled, that dimple popped, and her heart melted to her toes leaving a warm oozy feeling behind.
“I promise to have Cinderella home on time so the evil sorceresses don’t turn you into a pumpkin for making them miss bingo.” He punctuated his playful words by leaning in for a much-too-quick kiss before pushing her away.
Surprising her, Brock reached for her hand and tingles danced up her arm as he pulled her toward the SUV. He stopped to open the passenger door and waited for her to hop inside then shut it with a smile and a soft click, before skirting the front of the truck to get behind the wheel. Melanie glanced at the house as he backed out, and fought back a groan when she saw Aunt June at the living room window grinning from ear to ear.
As they drove through town, Melanie slumped down in the seat trying to make sure no one saw her with Brock. She knew how the information pipeline worked in this town, and if someone saw her with him, Lucy could know before they hit the city limits.
No matter what Brock said, she did not want to be the cause of him not being able to see his son. The way Brady’s health was deteriorating according to him, Brock needed to be able to keep an eye on him.
Once the roadway became lined by trees and turned into undulating hills, Melanie sat up and rolled down her window. A rush of cool, pine-scented air blew into the cab, and Melanie inhaled deeply. It came out in a rush that carried all the tension in her body with it.
“Don’t you love that smell? There’s nothing like it anywhere else on earth,” Brock said, not looking at her. “That’s why I moved back here when I washed out of football.”
Melanie turned in the seat to look at him. She knew that was professional football he was talking about, but couldn’t let him know that.
“In college? Why’d you wash out? Didn’t you finish your degree?” she asked, feeling guilt tug at her conscience.
“Yeah, I finished—pre-law degree,” he said glancing at her. “Instead of going to grad school, though, I was recruited by the Carolina Cougars and played one year of pro ball.” He looked back at the road, and shrugged, but Mel noticed his hands tighten on the wheel. “After I tore my ACL they didn’t have much use for me and I didn’t have the drive to go back to school, so I came here and bought the ranch.”
Melanie chewed her lip, tried to stop herself from asking, but the words flew out. “And you and Lucy, ah, started dating again?”
“Sort of,” he replied vaguely, but she didn’t press because every muscle in his big body was rigid with tension. He’d tell her when he got ready to tell her. If he didn’t, it wasn’t really her business.
She searched her brain for a topic that might keep him talking, but wouldn’t cause stress. The one that dawned sent a wave of heat through her. “I never knew you were into ag and the cowboy thing,” she said with a laugh, then thought about it and decided what the hell did she have to lose by admitting it? “But I have to say, that hat does things for you, that does things to me.”
He pushed his hat up on his forehead, tilted his head to give her a sexy sideways glance and a grin spread over his face. “That’s the only reason I decided on ranching—because I heard you were in Texas and figured you must like cowboys. I wanted to be in pole position when you finally came home.”
“Bullshit,” Melanie said with a country-girl snort that surprised her.
“Yeah, I found plenty of that in my new career and it comes in handy when trying to charm beautiful women.” He glanced at her, wiggled his eyebrows then threw his head back and his laughter tripped over every nerve in her body.
Brock Cooper didn’t need bullshit to do that—he’d never had a problem charming women. She knew that, because even a jaded sixteen-year-old nerdy bookworm had fallen hard for him without receiving the panty-melting smile. He’d reserved those smiles and winks for members of the beautiful girls’ club, to which she definitely didn’t belong back then.
That should give her pause now that he was turning those charms on her just because she’d changed her outward appearance. A man that shallow should be avoided, because beauty faded as Lucy Morris could attest. In his defense, though, as masculine as he was back then, even though he lived in a man’s body, he wasn’t a man yet.
Her eyes floated across the cab to the side of his beard-shadowed face. Brock Cooper was definitely a man now, she thought and a shiver racked her.
Come to the ranch with me and I’ll show you what they were about.
Melanie knew as sure as the sun would come up tomorrow, she would never be able to resist this man. Time and distance hadn’t changed the magnetic pull she felt toward him one darned bit. First love bit hard, left a permanent mark on a girl, and this man would always have his teeth in her. And she wanted to feel their sting on every inch of her body. Feeling suddenly flushed, Melanie rolled down the window more and leaned her face outside.
Oh, God what underwear did she have on? She gulped in the fresh air, but it didn’t cool her insides or do a thing to calm her nervousness. Brady won’t be there to interrupt us.
Melanie sat back in the seat and closed her eyes, gritted her teeth.
“You okay?” Brock asked, as he swung the truck into his driveway.
Her breaths came short and shallow and her hea
d spun, as she opened her eyes to look at him. They landed instead on a bag of gooey-looking candy melted in a Ziplock bag on the dashboard.
“You like gummy bears?” she asked with a hysterical laugh.
Brock glanced at her, then back at the candy and his jaw tightened. “No, but Brady eats the hell out of them. I told Lucy to limit him because they’re not good for his teeth, but he always has a bag with him.”
Red dye. Sugar. Gelatin.
With no label, Melanie would have to research the ingredients in gummy bears, she thought, reaching for the bag. She also needed to get a list of what Brady normally ate because a food allergy was not out of the realm of possibilities.
Brock’s eyes burned the side of her face.
Juvenile Diabetes?
Melanie wondered if Brady had ever been tested. Did it run in Lucy or Brock’s family? If he hadn’t been involved in Brady’s doctor’s visits in all likelihood, he didn’t have a clue.
There were so many possibilities for diagnoses here, it was mind-boggling. She could be researching for years and still not have anything conclusive. That thought cut through the sensual fog clouding her brain. They didn’t have years, if Brady’s condition was progressing as fast as Brock said it was. Melanie had under six weeks leave left to consider all those possibilities too. With each day that passed, the pressure would ratchet up, so she needed to focus on finding answers for Brock and Brady, not her suddenly revived desire for him.
But maybe if she focused now, she would have a week or two left with nothing but Brock Cooper and his hot kisses before she had to go back—or at least she hoped so.
It sucked being a responsible adult sometimes—sucked more to be a physician who cared more about her patient’s welfare than her own needs. Taking a deep breath as he pulled to a stop in front of the small wooden ranch house, she opened the door.
“We’ve only got a few hours, so let’s get busy getting those medical records ordered.”